Pursuit
by PianoxForte
Summary: A story in which our hero's innate change in gender alters character relationships and major events in the DBZ timeline - starting at beginning of Z with flashbacks to events in dragon ball. (Absolutely no re-hashing!) Female Goku
1. Prologue

**Pursuit**

Prologue:

"Krillin…" ChiChi drawled out nervously. "I don't think –"

"I think you've got the wrong address buddy. This is a private party," Krillin explained with a chuckle.

The brutish man narrowed his eyes, and folded his arms together.

Krillin didn't like the intruder's menacing air; he undertook a more stringent tone: "allow me to escort you off the island."

He didn't pause in his approach. What his subconscious thoughts had shrugged off initially as an animal fur belt had within less than a second transformed into a dangerous weapon. His thoughts sluggishly tried to comprehend that this man had a tail like Goku, and that it was about to whip him in the jaw at the same time – the result being that he was smacked into Kame house with just as muddled thoughts as before being hit.

"Krillin!" Goku cried out. "Are you alright?"

"M'fine," he grumbled from underneath the wooden pink wreckage.

Goku sighed in relief and instantly whipped her head in the direction of her newest foe. "What was that for?" she demanded angrily. Her eye's trailed the length of the man's tail. _He has a tail… just like I used to…_

The man smirked at Goku. "Now, now…" he chided whilst flicking his index finger to-and-fro as rhythmically as a metronome. "Is that the proper way to speak to your dearest big brother, Raditz?"

Goku's eyebrows rose in shock. She was unsure as to whether he was really speaking to her.

Raditz chuckled, but his expression was still severe, "You seem surprised, Kakarra! Don't you recognize me?"

Goku appeared even more puzzled than before. "Kuck – ar – ruh..." she copied his phonetics hesitantly.

Raditz sighed. "Very cute, little sister, but that's enough of your games. Time is of the essence. Prince Vegeta will be pleased to know that you have survived."

Goku continued to stare at him blankly. "What… Prince?"

Raditz's temporal arteries bulged, and his eyes gave off a fiery glint. "That's enough!" he snapped. "My patience has run thin!"

Raditz's attention was deflected from Goku for the time being as his ears caught the sound of a childlike whimper. A small child was huddled behind a woman with striking turquoise hair. The hair didn't distract him for long, because his eyes soon zeroed in upon a certain brown, furry appendage that was attached at the child's bottom.

Raditz's eyes widened for a split-second. He growled slightly under his breath. A firestorm of inconsistencies began to bombard his thoughts.

He extended his arm and motioned his hand toward the child. "What is _this_, Kakarra? And _why_ hasn't the population on this planet been eradicated. I realize that you are a pitiful third-class, but this is unacceptable. You've only had over _two_ decades to accomplish your mission!"

The child tried to wrestle his way out of the woman's arms. After a slight struggle, he finally slipped out and made a mad-dash toward Goku with his arms outstretched and tears cascading down flushed, chubby cheeks. "Mommy!" he cried out, latching onto Goku's leg and rubbing his face into her pants.

Goku rested a palm atop the child's wild ebony hair. "Shh… Gohan; it's alright," she hummed out comfortingly.

Raditz was aghast with disgust. "As if it's not already disgraceful enough that you copulated with this inferior race and delivered a half-breed mutt!" he spat.

Goku rapidly withdrew her hand and glared icily at the intruder. She clenched her fists doggedly. "Look, I don't know who you think you are, or who you think I am, but you don't know me! Gohan isn't any of your concern! Why don't you just leave us alone already before things get ugly!"

Raditz's eyebrows furrowed together with mounting frustration. "Do you know _nothing_? Do you even know of your Saiyan heritage?"

Goku frowned. "Saiy – what?"

"Saiyan! _Saiyan_! Kakarra!" Raditz snapped. "You are a _Saiyan _warrior! You were sent here as a baby to clear this planet of all life forms in the name of Freeza! _Please_ tell me that_ some_ of this is ringing a bell in that thick skull of yours!"

Krillin walked up to Goku's side, still rubbing the sore spot on his chin. "What are you _on_?" he asked with a perturbed expression. He stepped in front of Goku. "This guy's borderline insane. You watch Gohan. I'll take care of him."

"Krillin! Please tell me that you're not thinking of taking him on by yourself! He just smacked you through Kame house with his tail… his _tail_, Krillin!" Goku argued.

Krillin's face flushed red with embarrassment. "He caught me off-guard. It won't happen again."

Yamcha stepped forward. "If you want to fight this dirt-bag, count me in."

Goku gritted her teeth. "Fine, then I'm helping too!" she announced. "After all, he's my brother, isn't he?"

"Don't believe a word he says, Goku," Krillin replied.

"Yeah, and just leave this one to us, 'kay?" Yamcha said with a playful wink. "You always have the fun, and besides, you're not the only one who's been improving these last couple of years."

Goku nodded her head with a slight sigh, scooping up Gohan into her arms and walking off a ways back. Truth be told, she was just aching for a good fight. Times of peace were great and all, but life had been too mundane as of late. She needed a new challenge, a new adventure!

"Well, if there's anything left of him after you two are finished! I want a go at him too!" ChiChi called out, momentarily grumbling, "How _dare_ he scare Gohan like that!"

Meanwhile, Gohan tugged persistently at the hem of Goku's collar. "Mommy, is Daddy going to be okay?" he asked with imploring eyes swelled up with tears.

She kissed him tenderly on the forehead. "Of course he is! You know better than that!"

* * *

A/N: Just me dappling in another gender-bender what-if. I have ideas, but I'm not sure if I will continue this. I kept it vague for a reason ;-)


	2. Sacrifice

**Pursuit**

Chapter 1: Sacrifice

_May 7__th__, Age 756; 23__rd__ World Martial Arts Tournament_

"_It's me, Goku!" the woman exclaimed in answer to a group of dubious stares. "Oh I get it…" she muttered pointing to a cloth wrapped around the dome of her head. "It's the turban that's throwing you off, huh?"_

_Krillin and Yamcha exchanged skeptical glances._

_Bulma's jaw wobbled uncertainly. "G-Goku?" she stammered. Yes, her face was very familiar, but certainly this woman couldn't be the little runt that used to tag along with her on her dragon ball hunts, could she?_

_Goku smiled knowingly. "Here…" With one swift, fluid move, she pulled the wrap from around her head, and a familiar disarray of ebony spikes bounced into place. Goku's smile broadened as she noticed the simultaneous looks of clarity wash over the countenances of her friends._

_Bulma squealed ecstatically and pulled Goku into a tight hug. "Oh my Kami! You've grown so tall! You're a woman now!"_

_It was certainly true. Three years had made all the difference in the world. Goku was like a flower in full bloom. Krillin blinked incredulously at his best friend and childhood rival. The last time he'd seen her she was a vertically challenged, flat-chested, little girl with dirty, ragtag clothing, and sticks, leaves, and Kami knows what else stuck in her untamed, spiky hair. She essentially was just another boy to him. It never had occurred to him that the little tomboy would grow up to be a woman. He tried not to eyeball her newly acquired assets, but they stuck out like a sore thumb._

_Goku's attention flitted from Bulma to Krillin, and her smile broadened. Her arms outstretched for a friendly embrace and Krillin froze as immobile as a statue. She crushed him – yep, definitely the super human strength he'd remembered._

"_Ha!" she laughed. "I'm taller than you, buddy!"_

_Krillin's face flushed a bright red. "Yeah," he murmured against her collar-bone. Her skin was so soft and very warm just thinking about it was making his… Krillin stumbled backward._

"_Oh yeah… well don't think that's going to give you an advantage when we fight!" he blurted out._

_Goku cocked her head with slight confusion._

_Yamcha broke the awkward tension. "Hey, Goku! I haven't seen you in three years either. Where's my bear hug?"_

* * *

The Present:

Krillin assumed a fighting stance. "Let me go first. I owe this jerk a knuckle sandwich!"

Yamcha grinned. "You got it!"

Raditz snickered. "Tell you what, Kakarra. If you kill the bald one and his friend here, I'll withhold the fact that you failed your mission from the others; I'll save you the embarrassment."

Goku's eyes widened with disbelief. "Wha – what?!"

Raditz smirked. "Prove to me Sister that your Saiyan pride has been left intact, and I will keep this pitiful failure on the down-low. I'm feeling generous today."

"Take Gohan," Goku instructed, shoving the child into ChiChi's arms.

"That it!" Goku shouted. "You're crazy if you'd think I'd ever do _anything_ to harm my friends! I've had enough of you. Leave now in peace, and we can all put this past us!"

Raditz let out a lengthy sigh as he combed a set of fingers through his porcupine-like hair. "This won't do. You've grown soft, Kakarra. Prince Vegeta will be greatly disappointed. We'll have to condition you all over again."

"Condition?" Krillin muttered with apparent disgust. "Like what, you're gonna brainwash her?"

Raditz quirked an eyebrow with amusement. "You meant to say: cleanse her polluted mind of your filthy taint."

Krillin gritted his teeth. "Like hell you will!" he shouted, lunging at Raditz furiously.

No-one was able to even vaguely follow Raditz's movements until he came to a standstill with his fist lodged into Krillin's abdomen. Krillin doubled over in so much pain that he began to gag.

"Krillin!" Goku shouted, her voice laden with concern. She dashed toward her fallen best friend, but was stopped short when Raditz's fist smashed into her cheek. She staggered backward, clenching the swelling flesh.

"Lesson 1: dirt is to be trampled on," Raditz stated matter-of-factly, lifting his sizeable calf and slamming the sole of his boot onto Krillin's upper arm. A sickening snapping sound resonated throughout the perimeter, followed by a piercing scream.

Gohan began to cry uncontrollably.

"Stop it!" Goku pleaded. She knew she was no match for this man. She could barely keep up with his movements, let alone counter them. What chance did she have of beating him? What chance did she have of saving her son and her friends? If this man truly was her brother, maybe a small part of him cared enough about her to take pity on them.

"Please," she murmured. "Leave us alone."

The pleading only angered Raditz furthermore. "I can't leave you alone, Kakarra. You see, a couple decades ago, our home planet, Vegeta, was destroyed by an asteroid. Nearly our entire race of strong and proud warriors was demolished in that freak accident. You see, as far as our Prince knows, only he, myself, and one other Saiyan survived. However, that's not the case. You see, you were sent off planet as well, and here you are, alive and thriving. You have something we need Kakarra. I can't leave you be because that would be a disgrace. If you will not embrace your true self, then you don't deserve to live. However, I'm determined now to show you the light. There is hope for you my Sister. There has to be.

"No, I won't kill you. You're much too valuable. You shall finish off your so called 'friends' first, then we will eliminate the rest of the inhabitants on this planet so that it can be sold to the highest bidder. We'll be off within 1800 hours I suspect."

Goku clenched her fists with mounting frustration. "I _won't_ kill the people I love."

Raditz approached her defiantly. "You _will_!"

"_Never_! I'd rather die!" she retorted.

Raditz's eyes glinted with overwhelming rage. "_Fine_!" he hissed through clenched teeth. "_Coward_! Then _I_ will do it!"

Raditz gathered a large amount of violet ki in the palm of his hand. He smirked. "If you get bored of watching, feel free to join in the fun!"

Goku knew that she had no chance of defending her friends on her own. No amount of stubbornness would help her this time. She had no other choice.

She inhaled and exhaled a deep breath of air to calm her nerves, and then she gathered her own golden ki in the palms of her hands.

Raditz snickered slightly. "After everything you've seen, and you still think that you can hold a candle to my strength. You're not the brightest star in the sky, are you, Kakarra?"

Goku took her brother by surprise when her stance took an unexpected turn. She wasn't aiming her ki attack at him. Her onyx orbs held his gaze steadfast as she gingerly placed the sphere of pulsating ki up against her pelvis.

"This is what you want, isn't it?" she asked with a low tone.

The ki blast in Raditz's hand extinguished instantly. "Don't you dare!" he growled.

"I am no coward," Goku responded stoically. "I have a proposition for you. Leave them alone; promise me that you won't harm them now or ever, and I will give you what you want in return."

* * *

A/N: I was pleasantly surprised to get a little feedback. Thank you very much you guys!

_Shookones:_ Idk, read more and find out ;-)

_Kakarot Son: _I'll reveal it sooner or later. That much I can say.

_reamane21: _Maybe :-)

_Cybilaliceyugichichikinski: _Your review really gave me the sudden drive to write this chapter! Thank you!


	3. Abduction

**Pursuit**

Chapter 2: Abduction

_May 7th, Age 756; 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament_

"_She's turned into quite the young woman hasn't she?" Master Roshi remarked._

"_Heh – yeah," Yamcha murmured, his rapt attention following Goku's fluid moves as she battled her next opponent, Tenshinhan. _

_Master Roshi adjusted his sunglasses. The sun glinted off of the lenses. "She's a force to be reckoned."_

"_You can say that again. She's gotten so much better since the last time I saw her," Krillin observed._

_Yamcha idly scratched his chin stubble. "Not gonna lie – I'm kinda relieved I'm out of the tournament now that I don't have to worry about the embarrassment of getting my ass handled to me by her."_

_Krillin pressed his fist to his lips and cleared his throat. "Coward," he murmured under his breath._

"_Hey!" Yamcha exclaimed. "I heard that!" He punched Krillin in the arm._

_Krillin rubbed the spot and chuckled. "Yeah you'd lose alright. You hit like a girl. That tickled…"_

_Yamcha raised an eyebrow challengingly. "Goku's a girl, and she'd give you a smack-down."_

_Krillin rolled his eyes. "That doesn't count," he retorted. "Goku's special."_

_Yamcha's eyes widened for a moment, and then he began laughing heartily. "She's _special_, huh?"_

_Krillin choked on his saliva and pounded his chest with his fist. "Th – cough – that's not what I – cough – meant!" he defended, his cheeks flushing a scarlet red._

"_Sounds to me like you've got a crush on Goku," Yamcha teased._

_Krillin crossed his arms. "I don't have a _crush_ on Goku. She's my best friend!"_

_Yamcha patted the top of Krillin's head. "Chill man, I'm just kidding around. 'Sides, if you don't want her, I'm calling dibs."_

_Krillin's jaw dropped. "Wait, what? _You_ have a crush on her?!"_

_Yamcha chuckled. "Nah dude… crushes are for kids. I just think she'd be great in bed, and it's pretty cool that she's a martial artist like me. I'm starting to get sick of women always wanting to drag me on their shopping sprees, and if I have to see one more chick-flick I think I'm gonna shoot myself!"_

_Krillin's face paled. "You mean… you only want to hook up with her?"_

_Yamcha quirked an eyebrow. "You sure you're not into her? You're looking a little jealous, Bro."_

_Krillin shook his head adamantly. "No. It's not that! It's just… this is Goku… not some chick you pick up in a bar."_

_Yamcha waved his hand at Krillin nonchalantly. "Ah... c'mon, Krillin. Don't give me that. She's not a little girl anymore. She can handle herself."_

_Master Roshi cleared his throat. "I think you should listen to what Krillin has to say. Goku is like a daughter to me, and I'd hate to see you mistreat her like that."_

_Yamcha gaped at his Master in disbelief. "_Come on!_ You're not gonna give me that b.s. Goku's so naïve and innocent pretense too…?"_

"_Pay attention, Yamcha. Goku has grown up. She can live on her own with nobody's help. She defeated the demon King Piccolo. She's done a lot of maturing, but she's still the same old childish, naïve Goku at heart. Bulma may be able to handle you, but Goku won't even be able to comprehend you," Master Roshi explained. "There are plenty of other women martial artists who have come to the tournament."_

_Yamcha crossed his arms and furrowed his eyebrows together with apparent frustration. "You're the last person I'd expect to cockblock me. Honestly, you act like I'm gonna treat her like dirt! I would never do that to her!"_

_Having nothing else to say, and being greatly aggravated by his Master and friend, Yamcha took off to watch the fight at a different location and to steam off a bit._

_Krillin crossed his arms and huffed. "Can you believe the nerve of him?"_

"_Krillin," Master Roshi muttered._

"_Yeah, Master?"_

"_The same goes for you," he said._

_Krillin's jaw dropped again. "Seriously? I'm _not_ anything like Yamcha. I'm not a lady's man. I've never even had a girlfriend!"_

"_That's not what I mean, Krillin," Roshi replied. "I can see the way you look at her. You're a kind, honest, and upstanding young man, m'Boy."_

_Krillin blushed again. "How many times do I have to say that I don't like-like Goku!"_

"_You can't fool me, Son. I'm warning you now. Goku is not the right kind of woman for you. She doesn't understand what romantic love is, and the older she gets, the more I believe that she never will. She's a kind-hearted, good girl who loves everyone and everything in the same way. She's not interested in settling down and getting married. I doubt she even knows what marriage is. She doesn't want to have children like you. Your passion for the martial arts is all that you have in common."_

_Krillin frowned. "That's not true, Master! We have a lot in common, and you make Goku sound like a robot. She's a human being just like me and you!"_

_Master Roshi shook his head and his accompanying countenance was uncharacteristically stern. "You're a smart boy. You know what I'm saying is the truth, but your big heart is clouding your judgment. I care about you just as much as I care about her. I don't want to see you get hurt. Promise me you'll think twice about what I've told you."_

_Krillin sighed and bowed his head. "I promise."_

* * *

The Present:

Raditz clicked his tongue and wagged his index finger to-and-fro. "Karra, Karra, Karra... you should know by now that I'm not a patient man. In fact, my patience has just about dissipated. Stop playing these childish games!"

Goku clenched her teeth. "I'm not playing," she hissed.

Raditz raised his eyebrows and chuckled. "My, my… so you do have some Saiyan sass in you after all."

"I don't tolerate _anybody_ who threatens my friends!" Goku retorted. "Do you accept my terms or not?"

"I don't do deals, Kakarra. I don't think you fully understand the position you're in," Raditz replied, his brow-line beginning to pucker with mounting aggravation.

"Probably not," Goku confessed, "but I do know the position you're in, and you can't afford to refuse."

"I admire your moxy, little sister, but you need to pipe it down already. It's going to get you killed," Raditz stated matter-of-factly.

"I'm waiting," she reminded.

ChiChi dragged Krillin's unconscious body out of the crossfire, and shot Goku a look of unease. "Don't do this, Goku. We can take him together!"

Goku didn't so much as glance in ChiChi's direction. She was afraid she'd lose her composure. ChiChi had to know how serious the situation was. There was no way in hell that they could take Raditz down together.

Raditz smirked at the Earthlings. "Alright, Kakarra, I'll accept your proposal. Your friends will be left unharmed."

"All of them," Goku insisted, "and the planet Earth, and my son!"

Raditz sighed and replied, "Yes, yes… _all_ of them and this mud-ball planet." He turned his attention back to Goku and his smile softened. "After all, even if you've lived all of these years in coexistence with these pitiful, weakling aliens, you're still my only little sister. I would _never_ lie to you."

Goku exhaled the breath of trepidation she had been holding in. The ki in the palms of her hands dissipated.

"Don't move," Raditz commanded. He reached up and pressed a few buttons on a device attached to the left side of his head. "Ah… there you are…" he murmured in a pleased tone of voice. He pressed some more buttons. The device beeped in response. "And in working order, it seems. Excellent."

Goku stared at her brother dumbfounded, whilst the others exchanged unnerved glances. "What's in working order?" Goku asked, her curiosity too much to bear.

Raditz grinned. "Your pod."

Goku tilted her head to the side and shot him a quizzical look. "Pod?"

"It's your ride home. I was afraid you'd have to be sandwiched into my pod. It's fairly common for Saiyan babies to destroy their pods when they first transform," Raditz explained.

_Transform?_ Goku questioned silently.

As if on cue, Goku's space pod came rocketing toward its point destination. It crashed onto the shoreline a few feet away from Raditz, causing a dust cloud to billow up into the air. The dust settled and revealed an odd looking spherical space ship. It was a lot smaller than Goku had expected it to be.

Raditz pressed another button on his scouter and the single hatch on the pod swung open to reveal the small compartment within, equipped with a lot of buttons and screens that Goku had no idea how to use, and a small seating arrangement.

"Say hello to your new home, Kakarra. You'll be living in it for nearly a year," Raditz announced with a chuckle of amusement.

Goku had known she would be leaving Earth, but seeing the means to the end just made everything so much more real. Her lips parted to speak, but her mouth hung agape uselessly with her lips trembling.

"Well, sister, don't just stand their gaping at it like an idiot. Get inside," Raditz ordered.

"It's… so small," she muttered. "And… I don't know how to use it."

Raditz growled impatiently, stomped up to his sibling, and grabbed her roughly by her tricep. He pulled her with so much unexpected force, Goku almost fell.

"Mommy!" Gohan screamed. "Mommy! Don't go!"

Upon hearing her frightened child, Goku pulled back in an effort to bring Raditz to a halt, but he was too strong, and he ended up dragging her forward regardless.

"Please! Let me say goodbye to my son!" Goku pleaded.

"That wasn't part of the deal," Raditz replied callously.

Goku pointlessly dug her heels into the sand. "Please! I might never see him again!"

"I don't care," he responded, tossing Goku into the pod like a rag-doll.

Without another word spoken, he shut the hatch of the pod, and punched in the coordinates to their destination on his scouter. Meanwhile, Goku smacked the solitary window with the palms of her hands, and pleaded with her eyes. The pod wasn't soundproof. She could hear Gohan's muffled wails, and it broke her heart to be leaving him like this. She could have easily kicked the door down, but she used all of her willpower to withhold herself from doing so. This was for Gohan's safety. This was for the well-being of everyone. She had to make this sacrifice.

She could see Raditz suddenly smirk and wave to her goodbye. That was the signal. She was departing now. She had no time left. She pressed her forehead against the glass and yelled, "I love you, Gohan," at the top of her lungs.

A female computerized voice spoke through a speaker: "Kakarra, remain seated. Launch commences in 10… 9… 8…"

Goku sat in her seat, and gasped as straps came out of seemingly nowhere and buckled her in. Her heart pounded fiercely against her ribcage.

"7… 6… 5…"

She closed her eyes and braced herself for liftoff.

"4… 3… 2… 1…"

"Momma!"

Tears spilled down her cheeks.

The pod catapulted into the sky, and before she knew it, Earth was just a little, round ball she could see floating out of reach.

* * *

A/N: Just a little warning to y'all, this story is going to have adult themes and it will be very dark at times... also, lots of drama lol!

Kakarot Son: Nope no OC evil guy getting Goku pregnant in this story! :)

Buckets Full O' Sunshine: Thank-you very much, and this story will definitely be very adventurous! :)

Gogglegirl: I'm keeping Goku as Goku just because I honestly like it better that way. However, you will be hearing her Saiyan name a lot more soon and that is more feminine. I never alluded to ChiChi's gender... so... idk what to say to that yet ;)

Gokua1: Thanks!

wierdsquirrelgirl: Thank-you!

Guest: Thanks a lot, and you were right! :)


	4. Voyager

**Pursuit**

Chapter 3: Voyager

Heads craned toward the sky; pairs of anxious eyes traced the ascent of Goku's space pod until it became so small that it appeared as if Earth's atmosphere had gobbled it up. A mother, friend, and hero was gone in the blink of an eye.

Raditz broke the respectful moment of silence by loudly clasping his hands together. "Time for big brother Raditz to do damage control," he announced.

ChiChi's eyes widened in shock. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

Raditz placed his hands on his hips and chuckled sardonically. "What does it sound like? I can't leave this planet sitting here untouched. Lord Freeza will undoubtedly eventually find out about it, and then my ass is on the line!"

Bulma narrowed her eyes. "You lied to your sister! You're going to just dispose of us all like pigs to the slaughter!"

Raditz shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know what this pigs is, but it sounds about right."

Raditz's scouter beeped at him, and he and pressed a button. "Yes, I've retrieved Kakarra. She's en route to Planet Freeza 79 as we speak."

…

"The planet? No it isn't fit for reaping. She destroyed it beyond reparation. Seems she still hasn't garnered control of Oozaru. The core's unstable."

…

"Yes, looks like I arrived in the nick of time," Raditz observed. He clicked a few more buttons on his scouter. "I'm sending you her PIN so you can track her."

…

"Right."

The transmission appeared to end, and Raditz began pressing buttons on his scouter again, signaling his own pod to hone in on his location.

Moments later, Raditz abducted his bulky right arm and raised his palm up toward the sky. He sneered and sarcastically said, "it's been fun."

A sphere of dark, pink energy gathered in the palm of Raditz's hand and began to grow. Fear gripped at the hearts of his onlookers. They were frozen with it. Nobody made a move to stop him, though they knew what was about to happen.

"Hah!" Raditz growled, launching the pink ball of ki at high velocity toward the Earth's crust.

The blast pierced the Earth's exterior like a knife through butter and left a relative-sized, circular hole in its wake.

Raditz slapped his hands and rubbed them together as if he was wiping dirt off of them. His eyes scanned the varied reactions of his spectators and he flashed them a self-satisfied smirk.

"Magnificent isn't it? It's a new move of mine I like to call the planet-crusher. I haven't had much occasion to use it. Although it may appear harmlessly small, its looks are deceiving. It pierces through your planet's many layers and explodes upon interaction with the core, causing the core to become unstable and eventually explode. It's really _something_ to watch the explosion!"

Yamcha clenched his fists and shouted, "You bastard!"

He began to charge Raditz, but was fortuitously interrupted by the arrival of Raditz's ship. He had to jump backward to avoid being hit by it.

Raditz popped open the hatch, and a moment later, he was clambering into the machine. Yamcha wasn't even able to follow his movement.

"A word to the wise: if it's red and bubbling, avoid it," Raditz teased.

"You're sick!" Bulma screamed. "You're killing innocent people – children even!"

Raditz feigned a look of shock. "You don't say!" He pulled himself back out of the pod and a moment later he appeared in front of ChiChi and Bulma.

Bulma hopped backward instinctively, but ChiChi stood her ground. She glared at him with piercing ebony eyes.

"Back off," ChiChi hissed, gripping onto Gohan more tightly. Gohan impulsively wrapped his arms around ChiChi's neck and began sobbing into the dip in her shoulder.

"That reminds me, hand me the brat," Raditz demanded.

ChiChi inched backward. "Never!"

Raditz's facial features contorted with rage. "Wrong answer!" he hissed.

ChiChi didn't see his fist coming. She saw colorful spots, and then an intense throbbing pain spread across her face and shot down her neck. She concentrated all of her strength on tightly gripping Gohan as she and he flew backward. Her backside pounded into the ground and her head smashed into a palm tree, immediately rendering her unconscious.

Raditz yanked the hysterical child out of ChiChi's limp arms, and retreated to his space-pod. Before he reached it, he was blockaded by Yamcha.

"Hand Gohan over _now_!" Yamcha demanded through clenched teeth.

Raditz laughed mockingly. "Make me, puny Earth-man!"

Yamcha launched a right hook to Raditz's face, which was swiftly snatched by Raditz's free hand. Raditz twisted Yamcha's arm, easily snapping a bone in his forearm. Yamcha staggered backward and fell to his knees, clenching his painful wounded limb.

"Pathetic. With an attack that obvious, you deserve to die," Raditz scoffed.

Yamcha growled and hoisted his body up on his good hand. He swiftly swung his legs out to trip Raditz, but to Raditz, the attack was agonizingly slow to witness. Before Yamcha's legs made contact, Raditz crouched down, snatched one of Yamcha's incoming legs, and swung him around rapidly a few times before launching his body off into the distance. Yamcha hurtled into the ocean a good mile off of the shoreline with a large splash.

"Stupid, puny man," Raditz muttered.

He climbed back into his space-pod with the wailing child in tow. The hatch closed with a loud click of finality.

* * *

11 months, 2 days later:

A lone space-pod rocketed toward a dark, maroon planet, littered with patches of forest-green. Within the pod was an unconscious woman. She was hooked up to various monitors, and she had a mask strapped to her face.

A ding sounded over the loudspeaker, and a feminine, computerized voice announced, "Arrival to destination: Planet Freeza 79, in 10 minutes. De-activating hibernation sequence. Implementing temperature stabilization… Temperature stabilized. Vital signs assessment: blood pressure – 110/70, pulse rate - 60, blood oxygen level – 99%. Vital signs acceptable."

The computer retracted all monitoring leads, clips, straps, and the gas mask. A light blue mist was ejected into the air. "Hibernation deactivation complete."

"Wake up Kakarra," the on-ship computer spoke. "Arrival to destination: Planet Freeza 79, in 5 minutes."

Goku's eyelids fluttered and she groaned as she languidly stretched her heavy limbs. She rubbed her neck and groggily blinked as she took in her surroundings.

"Where… am I?" she muttered sleepily.

As the haze of sleep began to evaporate, Goku's memories of recent events stormed into her mind and took center stage.

"No!" she shouted, making a move to jump from her seat only to find that she was still strapped in tightly. She leaned forward and traced the glass of the solitary, red-tinted window with the tips of her fingers. Through it, she could see a small chunk of the vast expanse of space, and within it she beheld a large planet, growing by the second.

"Arrival to destination: Planet Freeza 79, in 3 minutes."

Goku slumped back in her seat. "No…" she murmured.

"Activating automatic landing sequence," the voice announced. "2 minutes."

…

"1 minute. Stay seated until vessel has landed."

The landing wasn't as rough as Goku had anticipated. Within moments of touching ground, the straps holding her down mechanically retracted.

"Planet Freeza 79," the computer declared. "Property of Lord Freeza, established by the Planet Trade Organization in age 737. Average surface atmospheric pressure of 10,132.5 millibars. Status: habitable. Additional information available upon request."

The hatch opened up to reveal a large platform. Directly across from Goku was another space pod. She stuck her head out of the ship, and a heavy pressure caused her torso to immediately plunge downward. Her head smashed into the metallic surface that the pod had landed upon.

Goku struggled to push herself up with her arms, but they shook and strained under her weight, and she crashed to the floor again. Goku crawled forward until her legs cleared the space pod entrance; they too came crashing to ground with great force.

Goku strained to pull her body into an upright position, and once she was on her feet, she struggled to keep her balance on teetering, partially-flexed limbs.

"My Kami, what's wrong with the air here?" she muttered.

"You must be Kakarra," an unexpected voice interrupted.


	5. Captive

**Pursuit  
**

Chapter 4: Captive

Four hours had elapsed since the break of dawn. Yamcha dragged his exhausted body out of the lapping waves looking like a miserable, drenched cat. Bulma snapped out of her dazed state, and bolted to the shoreline to help the ex-bandit find his feet.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Yamcha shook his mane. His eyes searched her face for a moment, as if he were imploring what had happened in his absence. "I felt the Earth tremble," he muttered with a horrified knowing appearance.

His eyes flitted across the island. "Where's Gohan?"

Bulma's nails dug into his bicep, and tears spilled over the brim of her cheeks. Yamcha took hold of both Bulma's shoulders and unintentionally shook her roughly.

"What happened to Gohan?" he yelled.

"He was taken," Bulma replied, barely above a whisper.

Yamcha fell back onto his bottom, and slammed his fists into the sand. "He's just a child!" he exclaimed.

"He's going to be with Goku," Master Roshi interrupted. "She won't let anyone hurt him. She'll get the two of them out of this situation sooner or later."

Yamcha nodded his head in agreement. "Right," he said. "If anyone can do it, she can!"

Bulma wiped the tears away hastily with the back of her hand and sniffled. "Yeah!" she said. Suddenly there was a glint like fire in her cyan eyes. "If we ever want to see them again we're going to have to come up with something quick. That Raditz guy threw a ki blast at the ground, and said that the Earth is going to blow up soon!"

Yamcha choked on his own saliva. After a violent fit of coughing, he shouted, "What?!"

Master Roshi clasped his hands behind his back. The sunlight glinted off of his shades. "I'm afraid so."

Yamcha's eyes scanned the perimeter. It seemed pretty normal, but there was an almost imperceptible rumbling sound, as if shards of the Earth's damaged core were grinding together. Grains of sand were moving of their own accord.

"What do we do?" he asked.

"It might be a long shot, but I suggest you pay a visit to Kami. If the Guardian of Earth doesn't know what to do, we very well may be doomed," Master Roshi explained gravely.

Bulma ran her slender fingers through her bob of cerulean locks. "Kami…" she muttered. "We'll take my capsule jet and see him right away… only… I don't know the way…"

"Do you know the whereabouts of Master Korrin's tower?" Roshi asked.

"Y – yes, I do!" Yamcha replied.

"Good, Kami's look-out lies directly above Korrin's tower. You can only reach it by flight. Take ChiChi and Krillin with you," Master Roshi instructed.

Bulma snapped her fingers. "Right! We'll drop 'em off at a hospital on the way there."

"No!" Roshi shouted. "Take them with you to Kami. I understand that they're injured, but they will be fine."

Bulma's eyebrows twitched together in confusion. "Oh-okay."

They loaded their friends up into the jet, and hunkered down into the driver's and passenger's seats respectively. Yamcha rolled down his window.

"We'll be seein' ya, old man!" he called out.

"See ya' later, Master Roshi!" Bulma shouted.

A feeble smile tugged at the old Master's lips. "Fly fast and Godspeed, my friends! Stick together and I'm sure all will turn out fine!"

Bulma watched Master Roshi wave them goodbye until they were up far enough for him to be obscured by the clouds.

"Heh," Yamcha let out a nervous laugh. "It almost sounded as if he was saying goodbye."

Bulma felt a pang of fear and guilt arrest her heart. She clenched the fabric of her blouse tightly in her trembling fingers. "Y-yeah," she mumbled.

The sky had become overcast. Thunder rumbled, shaking the Earth. A lightning strike lit up the windshield. A solitary raindrop dripped in the center point of Bulma's vision, then another drop splattered, followed by yet another. The growing wind shook their metal encasement, and the raindrops pounded in quick succession.

"What a storm," Yamcha observed.

"It came out of nowhere," Bulma muttered softly as a teardrop slid alongside the bridge of her nose.

* * *

11 months, 2 days later; Planet Freeza 79:

The speaker's voice was on the whole unique, high pitched, yet grating, and not – it seemed – altogether unfriendly.

"In answer to your question: nothing," he replied.

A shuffling step approached the fallen Saiyan without fear.

Goku grunted with effort to lift her weighty torso. Her neck was craning in response to an unseen force.

"What?" she asked through gritted teeth.

She could hear an odd-sounding hissing chuckle in response to her confusion. "The air, Saiyaness; there's nothing wrong with it. I take it the gravitational force on this planet is much stronger than you're used to on... Ee – yarth, is it?"

A clawed, scaly, earthy-green hand extended into Goku's field of view. Goku blinked at the oddly pigmented appendage incredulously and extended her neck to look up at its owner – the scales encased his entire body. He had a bulging, beak-like muzzle. On the top of his head was a tuft of vivid, orange hair.

She couldn't discern his expression. He wasn't smiling at her. His lips – if they could be described as such – were a straight line. He didn't seem all that threatening though. Goku shifted her weight onto one hand and hesitantly took his in her free hand. He helped her keep balance as she pulled herself into a vertical position.

"My name is, Malaka," he said. "And, don't worry, you'll get used to it."

_Get used to the gravity? _she wondered silently. Goku smiled. "Thank you, Malaka," she replied politely. "Nice to meet you," she added, vigorously shaking his hand. "My name's Goku, Son Goku!"

Malaka shot her a queer look and sharply retracted his arm, causing Goku to gasp with surprise. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Malaka's nostrils twitched. "Why did you shake my arm?"

Goku blinked at him dumbfoundedly. After a moment she scratched the back of her head. "Hm…" she hummed. "Now that you ask, I really don't know. I just do that when I meet people. Bulma said it's 'appropriate'.

She smiled broadly, and shook her head. "Yep that's it alright!" she announced, as if this solved everything.

Malaka stared at her quizzically for a moment, drawing up his own conclusion. "A cultural thing…?" Malaka muttered mostly to himself. "Strange."

Malaka noted Goku's tense and strained appearance. He motioned at her thoughtfully. "Come, follow me inside."

Goku struggled to keep up with him. They approached an entrance into the nearby building, and paused before another odd-looking creature. He had his hands on his hips and a smirk on lips that reminded her of a fish. His flesh was indigo-hued and completely hairless. His most notable features were two catfish-like whiskers on either side of his mouth, and a pair of dull horns with holes in the centers, one on either side of his forehead.

He tapped a green-booted foot on the ground. "So this is the bitch?" he asked in a raspy voice. "She doesn't look like much to me."

"Cui, let us through. I need to do some tests on her," Malaka said with a level-voice.

"Shut it, lizard-breath!" Cui snapped, stepping up to Goku.

He lifted his right arm and formed an okay sign with his hand. He placed his thumb and index fingers against Goku's forehead and flicked. Goku fell backward onto the ground with a loud thud.

Cui laughed. "Just as I thought."

Malaka bent down and helped Goku back onto her feet. "That was unnecessary!"

"Pathetic!" Cui spat.

Cui relented his harassment for the time-being, and tapped a button at his side to open the door. "I wouldn't want your brittle bones to shatter under this gravity," he teased.

Malaka ignored his colleague and ushered Goku inside the building. She immediately felt the difference. Her body felt much lighter the instant she stepped inside, though not quite as light as back on Earth.

"The gravity is controlled inside," Malaka pointlessly explained. "Follow me."

"Where are you taking me?" Goku asked.

"My lab."

"What for?" she queried.

"To do tests," he replied.

"What kind of tests?"

"It's none of your concern," he answered, this time his tone was a little rigid. "Do you have any other idle questions, or are you just about done?" he added sarcastically.

Goku tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Are… are you a dinosaur?" she asked, undaunted.

Malaka's eye twitched. "I don't know what that is, and it doesn't matter. Enough with the questions!"

* * *

A/N: Vegeta and Nappa next chap! I might also reveal Gohan's Dad...

kingawesome: I honestly don't know what power level it takes to blow up planets - I guess I could google it really quick but... meh... As far as I know, it was never said that Raditz _can't_ blow up a planet. I realize that he definitely doesn't have the sheer power to just annihilate a planetary body like Freeza, but I figure he can cause enough damage to set off a reaction that results in a planet's destruction.

Any questions, comments, something else?


End file.
